


A Chance Meeting

by Sweetgirl2019



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Angst, Drama & Romance, Explicit Language, M/M, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2020-10-29 02:24:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20789045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweetgirl2019/pseuds/Sweetgirl2019
Summary: AU Ian and Mickey meet at the airport. Despite a rough start, they can't deny the connection that builds between them. When they run into each other again in Chicago, things get complicated





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> What can I say? This fandom and this couple have got me hooked. Can't wait until November :)

*****

Making his way through the open doors, Ian placed his luggage into one of the bins, adding his shoes to a second. When security finally waved him through, he gathered his things at the end of the counter and pushed past the mob of people swarming the small space. Reaching his gate at the end of the hall, he dropped into a chair further back, far from the crowded seats up ahead. Dragging the heavy laptop out of his bag, he logged into his Skype window and waited three seconds before his brother’s smirking face filled the screen.

_“Little brother! What time’s your flight?”_

“Hey Lip,” Ian snorted, glancing down at his watch. “Supposed to leave in an hour. How’s everything over there?”

_“Franny’s driving us crazy but that’s nothing new. Pete’s been bugging me too. He wants to see you again but you’re ignoring the guy.”_

“He keeps calling ten times a day,” Ian rolled his eyes. “Maybe he should take a hint?”

_“Come on! What’s wrong with him?”_

“He’s boring,” Ian sighed, ignoring his brother’s unimpressed stare. “The guy’s a teacher.”

_“What the hell’s wrong with being a teacher? You want a fucking gang banger or something?”_

“No!” he chuckled. “It wasn’t the job. _He_ was boring. Kept talking about his Sunday afternoon chess competitions and jazz music and his cat, Mr. Snuggles. What part of that matches me?”

The answering laugh made Ian roll his eyes again.

“Seriously, stop setting me up. You suck at it.”

_“Alright, so one guy was a fucking miss.”_

“One? You remember Justin? He wanted to tie me up and spank me? Guy was into hardcore domination and all that other shit,” he said, his eyes narrowing. “Or how about Harry? The guy was over sixty!”

_“Thought grandpas were right up your alley.”_

They stared at one another for a heated moment before breaking out into grins.

“Look, I can do better on my own so stop butting in. When I find the right guy, I’ll know and you’ll be my first fucking call.”

_“You expecting Prince Charming to ride up on a white horse? Or maybe you think the guys at Boystown suddenly grew decent.”_

“I’ll just know, alright?” Ian sighed. “It’ll feel different around him.”

_“There you go with that romantic bullshit again. You ever heard of fucking, Ian? Who am I kidding? You and all those geriatric…”_

Shutting the screen, he cut Lip’s rant off before putting his laptop away and focusing on the people around him. Two rows ahead, a couple in their mid thirties sat with four young boys running wild. The husband had his eyes closed while his wife voiced her angry complaints, both oblivious to their noisy children. Laughing quietly as he took in the scene, Ian’s mind raced back to his own siblings and the craziness they grew up in.

Feeling a gentle vibration, he turned away from the group and grabbed his phone. Glancing through his notifications, he opened a dating ap he never knew he had: Sexy Men Looking for Sexier Men. Laughing at the ridiculous name, he scrolled through the site before freezing. A sudden text came through at the top of his screen, making Ian's eyes widen.

**_Thought you should know I signed you up for a dating site. Added the ap before you left Chicago. Was waiting for you to piss me off before finalizing your profile. Well, you just did and so did I. Enjoy!_**

Glaring at the text, Ian let his fingers glide across the screen as he sent his reply.

**_I swear to God I WILL END YOU_**

** _ Shut that shit down now! _ **

** _ LIP!!!_ **

When no response came, he opened the ap and searched through the different pages. Realizing Lip had disabled the account from being deleted, he threw his head back and sighed. With his shoulders dropping in defeat, he let his curiosity take over and scrolled to the inbox, laughing at the seventeen messages that were already waiting.

**_You’re so sexy. I wanna take you apart._**

** _ I’ve been a bad boy. Will you punish me?_ **

** _ Baby, let me hear your voice. Phone sex?_ **

Scoffing at the dirty messages, he scrolled down until he reached a lengthier one.

**_Hi, my name is Wilbur. You look absolutely delicious. I was looking through your profile and your picture made me feel a lot of things. Don’t let my age turn you away. It’s always good having a man with experience. I could show you all the pleasures you’ve been missing. Does that sound good, Sexy?_**

“Fuck my life. Muscled douchebags and creepy old men. That’s what I fucking attract,” Ian muttered, exiting out of the inbox. “Picture? What picture?”

Scrolling through the different options, he froze when he found his profile.

“SexyHotBabe,” Ian read his username. “Twenty-five year old freckled sex God. My body’s chiseled, I’m packing nine inches and I’m a nice guy too. I love a good old romp in the sack as much as I enjoy walking hand in hand on the beach and all that other romantic bullshit. Alcoholics, perverts and general creeps not welcome.”

He stared at the words for several seconds before his shock slowly faded away.

“I’m going to fucking kill him. I’ll kill him and they won’t find his body.”

Moving back to the top of the screen, he clicked on the small icon to see his profile photo and groaned. He’d taken a selfie back on his birthday, drunk out of his mind, shirtless and holding his beer up towards the screen. Lip had used a marker on his chest, the words ‘All I wanna do is fuck’ written in bolded black. Ignoring the ping from a new message, Ian stuffed the phone back in his pocket and grabbed his water, letting the cool liquid soothe his anger away.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we apologize for the delay,” the gate agent’s voice came through the speakers. “There seems to be some technical difficulties that should be resolved momentarily. We thank you for flying with Delta Air and promise to get you boarded shortly.”

Before he could let himself feel the frustration, he felt the chair beside him rattle as a man in his sixties took the spot beside him, his grey hair gelled neatly away from his face.

“I’ve been watching you from across the room. Recognized you from the Sexy Men ap. Had to come over here to see you for myself.”

Thinking up new ways to kill his brother when he landed, Ian gave the politest smile he could manage. “Sorry, but I’m not interested.”

“You sure about that?” the man pressed, leaning even closer. “Those rosy lips were made for sucking. Would love to show you a good time.”

“Still not interested,” Ian shook his head.

The man seemed egged on by the rebuttal, letting his hand trail down Ian’s leg. Before Ian could grab the wrist and yank it off, a pair of feet stopped beside them. Glancing up, Ian felt his breath hitch. The bluest eyes he had ever seen were staring back at him, the handsome face scrunched together in disgust.

“He look like a fag for sale to you?”

The older man stared between them, sizing the stranger up before answering. “If you looked at his profile, you’d think the same.”

“Well, this ain’t Macey’s bitch. You ain’t window shopping,” the younger man snapped.

“His online profile gave me interest so why don’t you run along unless you want to join in."

Ian opened his mouth to tell him off but the stranger leaned down and wrapped his hand around the older man’s wrist, twisting it painfully behind him.

“Why don’t you fuck off before I give you a broken spine to go with that limp wrist?” he threatened.

Yelping from the pain, the older man scrambled to his feet and started shuffling away. 

“Next time, try picking someone your own age you geriatric pervert!”

The surrounding crowd murmured quietly as they watched the older man disappear down the hallway.

“Could you have said that a little louder?” Ian chuckled.

“That’s the fucking thanks I get for saving your ass?” the man spat back, glare permanently in place.

“I could have kicked his ass on my own, I think,” Ian said before biting his lip to stop his own smile. “But thanks. Seriously, thanks for that.”

Blue Eyes watched him for a long moment and Ian could tell he was looking for any signs of deceit on his face. When he felt satisfied enough, the man sank onto one of the empty chairs on the left.

“You always rescue people like that?” Ian asked, glad to see the passengers around them had gone back to their own conversations.

“Nope.”

“How come you rescued me?” Ian grinned, something inside him wanting to keep their talk going.

“I guess old perverts piss me off,” the man shrugged as he grabbed for his phone.

“The guy thought he saw me…”

“Are you seriously still talking?” Blue Eyes turned towards him with a sigh.

“I’m just trying to say thanks,” Ian tried again.

The answering glare made him raise his hands in defense, sinking in his seat. As the silence stretched on, Ian found himself throwing side glances to his left, unable to fully look away.

“Fucking fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

With the man’s face tilted downward, Ian took a moment to let his eyes scan over the rest of his profile. His carry on was missing a wheel, his jacket was sewn at the elbow and his knuckles were covered in tattoos that Ian couldn’t read.

“That’s all I fucking needed for this clusterfuck of a day,” the man continued his muttering, oblivious to the gentle gasp from an elderly woman nearby.

Laughing despite the grumpiness, Ian tilted in his seat. “Bad day?”

When the man glanced up and faced him, Ian felt his breath hitch for a second time as he took in the eyes staring back at him, a shade darker than before.

Licking his dry lips, Ian squared his shoulders. “You just seem upset. Is your bad day about the old guy from before or something different?”

“Hate to break it to you, Red, but my day gives zero shits about you.”

Ian let a loose smile curve his lips, the nickname not lost on him. “Anything I can help with? Only seems fair after your savior act from before.”

“Just ‘cause I defended your ass doesn’t mean we’re fucking friends,” the man snapped, keeping his voice low enough that only a few passengers around them took notice. “Did I ask you to fucking talk to me? Newsflash, asshole, I didn't! So how about you turn around and fuck off!”

Shocked by the outburst, Ian paused for a few seconds before his own anger kicked in. “Fuck you back, jackass.”

Turning away with a huff, he heard a grunt of annoyance but kept his gaze focused on the opposite direction. His eyes suddenly fell to the people around them, realizing they’d captured a small audience. The elderly woman was gripping her purse tightly and two women seated across him were doing their best to stifle their laughs. Ignoring the attention, Ian crossed his arms and sank in his seat. Before his focus could fall on the rowdy family from before, another loud grunt made him clench his teeth.

“Hey, you got a charger?”

Hearing the voice made him spin towards the stranger again. “Are you seriously asking me for a charger right now?”

“Yeah, you got one or not?”

“You expect me to be nice to you after you cussed me out?” Ian laughed.

“Why the fuck are you acting like a little girl?” the man asked, holding his hands up in confusion.

Instead of answering, Ian grabbed his things and made his way past several chairs, ignoring the two laughing women as he went.

“Fucking gorgeous blue eyed asshole,” he mumbled, throwing himself into a new seat.

Several minutes ticked by and Ian’s focus drew back to the crowd again. When his eyes cast towards the left without purpose, he saw the man glaring down at his phone. The spiteful part of Ian smiled, hoping the glare meant the battery was seconds away from dying. The man rose from his seat and Ian watched as he dragged his three legged carry on towards the end of the hallway, fading in the mass of people that were waiting.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your patience,” the agent spoke again. “We will now begin boarding flight 1417 for Chicago. We ask all passengers in our Business Class and those with disability to please come forward.”

Sighing tiredly, Ian watched as a small group of people lined up behind the desk, the agent scanning their boarding passes before they disappeared down the tunnel. Another few minutes dragged on until the second announcement eventually came.

“We now ask all passengers with children aged six or younger to come forward as well as any passengers from zone three.”

Tapping his foot against his seat, Ian’s eyes followed the next group of people who began boarding the plane. His gaze moved towards the end of the hallway, a part of him hoping to catch a glimpse of the other man but he quickly caught himself and turned back.

“We now ask any passengers in zones four and five to please start making your way forward.”

Swinging his laptop carrier over his shoulder, Ian stretched his sore muscles and moved towards the line, dragging his carry on behind him. When his pass was finally scanned, he fell into step behind the rowdy family, hoping his seat was far from the noisy group. Glancing up at the seat numbers, his smile widened when they paused at row twenty. Stopping when he reached his own row, Ian slipped his carry on in the overhead bin before finally settling. Once the passenger line started thinning, he grinned at the empty chair beside him, grateful that the spot had remained empty.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.”

Snapping his gaze forward, Ian narrowed his eyes at the blue eyed stranger. They stared at one another for several seconds until the man pointed towards the empty space.

“You gonna move so I can get in?”

Realizing what he meant and feeling his own gaze harden, Ian crossed his arms and stared up in challenge. A loud throat cleared behind them making the man roll his eyes, forcing his broken carry on into the bin overhead. With a glare that could win awards, the man pushed himself forward only to catch his foot at the edge of the seat, stumbling down into Ian’s lap. His hands quickly gripped Ian’s shoulders to keep from sinking lower, snapping his gaze up when he felt Ian’s arms wrap around him. With their faces inches apart, they stared at one another for a brief moment before the man shot upwards and struggled to separate their tangled bodies. Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Ian peeked towards his left. The slight blush warming his neighbour’s cheeks made Ian’s previous anger fall away, a smile curving the edge of his lips.

“You make any comment and I’ll end you.”

Ian’s eyes instantly shot downwards, seeing the FUCK U-UP tattoos inked above the man’s knuckles. Instead of feeling nervous at the intended threat, Ian found his smile widening, ignoring the safety demonstrations the flight attendants were giving.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking,” the pilot’s voice came through the speakers once the demonstrations were over. “On behalf of the flight crew, I’d like to welcome you aboard Delta flight 1417, non-stop from Los Angeles to Chicago. The weather ahead is good and we should have a smooth and uneventful journey. Flight attendants and cabin crew, please prepare for gate departure.”

With the passengers and crew seated, the motors started rolling as the aircraft finally backed away from the gate. When the plane began its descent down the runway, Ian felt a low vibration near his feet, looking down to see the man tapping the spot between their seats.

“You planning to do that the whole flight?”

“Not everyone likes flying, asshole.”

Ian chuckled as he pointed at the tattooed fingers. “Are those just for show, then? Not so tough after all?”

The man held up his middle finger but Ian could see the muted panic in his eyes. Letting his laughter fall away, he took in the nervous expression and softened.

“I’m sorry. Why don’t we just try again? I’m Ian.”

The man watched him for several seconds before the suspicion in his eyes slowly began to fade. “Mickey.”

Ian’s smile grew as he repeated the name. “Think we can start over?”

“Don’t know what the fuck you mean. You’re the one who had the problem back at the gate.”

“Me?” Ian asked, laughing to keep his anger buried. “I was trying to be nice after you got rid of that old guy and you told me to fuck off.”

“You were pissing me off,” Mickey shrugged.

Before Ian could give an answer, the plane jolted and Mickey’s hand shot out, gripping the arm rest and Ian’s hand above it. Looking over, he watched as Mickey screwed his eyes shut and bit his lip nervously. A sudden warmth settled in Ian’s chest, his smile growing when he felt Mickey’s grip tighten as the plane sped down the runway. To save himself from bruising, Ian slowly turned his hand over and opened his palm, smiling again when Mickey let his fingers slide through. Their hands sat laced over the arm rest, palms pressed together as they soared towards the sky.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Mickey opened his eyes and finally glanced over. Seeing the gentle smile on Ian’s face, his gaze fell to their tangled fingers and quickly tore his hand away, muttering a quiet apology.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ian started, missing the feel of Mickey’s hand against his own. “Lots of people are afraid of flying.”

“Never said I was fucking afraid!” Mickey snapped before lowering his voice. “I just don’t like it. Big fucking difference.”

Ian chuckled as the plane smoothed in the air and settled for the journey. Feeling a sudden need to keep the other man talking, he tilted in his seat towards him.

“Are you from Chicago?”

“What the fuck’s it to you?”

“I’m betting it’s the South Side,” Ian snorted. “Mouth like that, you can’t be from anywhere else. I’m from there too, by the way.”

“What's it with you thinking we're besties?" Mickey grumbled. "Me grabbing your fucking hand doesn’t mean shit."

The plane gave a brief shake and Ian bit his lip to keep the jolt of excitement he felt buried when the hand flew out towards him again.

“I think we’re way past _besties_ now,” Ian teased.

Realizing what had happened, Mickey yanked his hand away, pushing his fingers into his pockets to avoid from reaching out.

“Were you in Los Angeles for business or pleasure?”

“Neither.”

“Did you have a nice time over there?”

“Hell to the fucking no.”

“Any exciting plans when you get back to Chicago?”

“For fuck’s sake!” Mickey groaned. “We playing twenty questions or something? Shut the fuck up, man.”

Instead of feeling intimidated, Ian threw his head back and laughed. “That’s actually a good idea. Great way to pass the time. You can go first if you want.”

“I don’t want to play that fucking game. Stop talking to me.”

“Sorry, but you grabbed my hand so our relationship has changed from assholes who piss each other off to casual acquaintances,” Ian shrugged. “Come on, fire away.”

Mickey sighed loudly before giving in. “It’s your idea so you can ask. Just don’t expect a fucking answer.”

“Alright,” Ian said, rubbing his hands together. “We can go the boring route and ask each other about our jobs, our families, stuff like that. Or we can make it more interesting.”

“Interesting?” Mickey asked, turning his wary gaze towards him.

“How old are you?”

“That’s your fucking juicy question?” Mickey snorted. “Twenty-six.”

“Great! I’m twenty-five,” Ian smiled. “When was your first kiss?”

Mickey swallowed hard as his smile fell away. “Not gonna fucking answer that.”

“Why? Not like I asked you who you fucked,” Ian chuckled. “I’ll go first. I was fourteen.”

Mickey snorted in reply. “Twelve.”

“You got me beat,” Ian said, turning his gaze to the stewardess as she leaned in from her cart.

“Can I get you gentlemen any drinks?” she asked, smiling sweetly.

“Just water for me,” Ian smiled back.

“You got any whisky for me to drown out the asshole beside me?” Mickey asked, rolling his eyes when the woman’s eyes widened. “Water for me too.”

She poured two glasses and hurried to the next row. Drowning his water quickly, Mickey stuffed the empty cup in the pocket of the seat in front and sat back with another sigh. Sipping his own more leisurely, Ian’s smile widened.

“Who’s the first person you fucked?”

Opening his eyes, Mickey snapped his gaze back over, glancing around them to see if anyone else had heard. “Thought you weren’t gonna ask that fucking question.”

“Changed my mind,” Ian said easily.

“Angie Zahgo,” Mickey rolled his eyes, missing the saddened look that fluttered across Ian’s face. “What about you, Red? Was is Lucy, Molly or Stacey?”

Surprised at the nickname, Ian took a breath before answering. “It was Ben, actually.”

He slowly glanced over to see Mickey’s eyes widening. They stared at one another for several seconds, eyes locked together, neither able to look away. Snapping out of the sudden trance, Mickey switched his gaze back towards his window, his body tensing. Ian felt his disappointment at Mickey’s reaction, berating himself for being too honest and ending the nice rapport they had going.

“He fuck you or you fuck him?”

Surprised at the quiet words, Ian looked over to see Mickey’s eyes already on him. “He topped but I wasn’t a big fan. The next guy I was interested in, I switched it up and realized what my preference was.”

Mickey bit his lip, a look that Ian couldn’t place filling his eyes. Before Ian could open his mouth to question, the look had disappeared.

“Got any other questions or you just gonna keep staring at me?” Mickey asked, the smirk back on his face.

Feeling the awkwardness fall away, Ian started answering when a voice came through the speakers.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have just been informed that we will need to make a stop at Las Vegas McCarran airport due to technical difficulties.”

The passengers groaned their frustrations as Mickey’s head fell back against his chair.

“We apologize for the inconvenience and will do our best to get you back in the air quickly,” the stewardess exclaimed. “Please remember to take all of your belongings when you exit the plane. Please remain seated and fasten your seatbelts. We will begin our descent shortly.”

“Just fucking shoot me already,” Mickey grumbled.

“You can hold my hand again if you want,” Ian smirked, laughing at the glare he received.

He watched as Mickey gripped the armrest, keeping his hands firmly away from Ian’s. When the plane hit the runway minutes later, Mickey’s hand began uncurling one finger at a time.

“Come on,” Ian motioned, stepping into the aisle and leaving a foot of space for Mickey to go in front.

Grabbing his carry on from overhead, Ian reached for Mickey’s when the shorter man pushed his arm away.

“Don’t need your help. Can grab my own fucking suitcase,” Mickey muttered, lifting up on his toes to grab his three legged luggage.

As they turned to face the front, the crowd behind Ian pushed him slightly forward, his chest pressing flush against Mickey’s back. He slowly lowered his face, his mouth stopping just behind Mickey’s ear. Before he could manage an apology, he heard a sharp intake of breath and froze, leaning back to see the slight blush that had warmed Mickey’s skin. When the crowd finally started moving, he heard Mickey release a deep breath and felt his own pulse quicken.

Stepping out of the tunnel and into the waiting area, the cool breeze made Mickey spin around to face an approaching Ian. They stood unmoving, caught in another locked gaze until a voice overhead brought them back to reality.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Las Vegas McCarran. The technical crew will be arriving shortly. We are being told that the delay may last a couple hours,” one of the agents addressed. “Please feel free to explore the shops and fine dining at the airport but be sure to keep an eye on the message boards for any updates to your flight. Thank you.”

“This fucking sucks,” Mickey grumbled. “Can’t believe we gotta do that shit again.”

“Wanna grab some food?” Ian suggested.

“What, you think this is a fucking date?” Mickey snapped.

“No,” Ian held his hands up with a laugh. “I’m hungry. Figured maybe you are too.”

Mickey let his eyes settle on Ian for a long moment, taking in the smirk that was hidden behind an innocent smile.

“You just wanna ask more fucking questions.”

“You got me, Mick,” Ian nodded, the smile never leaving his face.

Swallowing at the sudden nickname, Mickey waved his hand in the air, motioning for Ian to lead. Walking side by side, they made their way through the airport, stepping inside one of the shops to pass their time. As Ian wandered towards the books, Mickey found himself at the back of the store, staring through the tourist items on sale. His gaze saddened when his eyes caught the baby clothing hung on display. Ridding his mind from any thoughts before they could form, he kept walking until he reached a shelf at the very end. Moving closer out of curiosity, he choked on his own spit when he realized what they were.

“Dildos? Why does that make me happy?”

Spinning around, he caught the smirk on Ian’s face, the sudden closeness sending him tumbling backwards against the display. Ian’s hands shot out on instinct, grabbing Mickey at his waist and yanking him close to stop him from falling. Their breathing grew ragged as they stared at one another in surprise, their bodies touching at their chests going down. Suddenly catching himself, Mickey forced Ian backwards and let his eyes settle into a glare.

“Stop being so fucking touchy feely,” he snapped, licking his dry lips.

Ian’s eyes fell down to the wetness left behind before dragging his gaze back upwards, staring into the most stunning shade of blue. Seeing the anxiety on Mickey’s face made Ian swallow the words he wanted to say. Instead, he let an easy smile settle back on his face and motioned towards the exit.

“If you’re done shopping for dildos, can we grab a bite to eat?

Turning around, he took a deep breath and walked out of the shop, missing the way Mickey’s eyes followed him as he went. They left together in silence, making their way down the hall before stopping at a restaurant close to their gate. Sitting across one another at an empty booth, they grabbed their menus to keep themselves busy, avoiding each other’s eyes.

As he read over the list of items, all Ian could think of was Mickey’s blue eyes and the peek of tongue he’d caught earlier when the older man had licked his lips. With the way Mickey had blushed in the plane and in the shop minutes before, Ian was almost positive he wasn’t the only one who had felt the spark between them. Feeling Mickey’s hand against his own and their chests pressed together had sent a jolt through Ian’s body. Even the grumpiness from before was now endearing.

“Welcome to Joey’s Gourmet,” the waiter cut through Ian’s thoughts as he strode up beside their booth and smiled down at Mickey. “What can I get for you?”

Ian’s gaze narrowed as he recognized the flirty tone. Before his mind could catch up and stop him from overreacting, he cleared his throat loudly.

“I’ll take a beer. Whatever’s on tap is fine and a basket of fries,” he gave his biggest smile to the waiter before looking at Mickey. “What about you, Honey?”

“The fuck you just call me?” Mickey snapped.

“Come on, Babe. Stop being so grumpy,” Ian laughed, giving the man across him a loving smile.

The waiter cleared his throat and switched to his professional mode. “And for you?”

Mickey continued his glare, forcing Ian to glance up at their server again. “He’ll take the same.”

When the waiter hurried away, Ian yelped at the sudden kick against his shin.

“The fuck was that for?” he cried.

“Why the fuck did you call me that shit?”

“He was hitting on you!” Ian argued, swallowing his nerves at the dark look in Mickey’s eyes as he suddenly remembered the tattoos. “Thought I’d save you.”

“Do I look like a guy that needs to be fucking saved?” Mickey growled.

“Jesus, I’m sorry,” Ian sighed. “Fuck me for giving a shit.”

Their heated gaze lingered, a charge filling the space between them. Neither noticed when the waiter brought their beers and left two baskets of fries between them, too engrossed in one another, oblivious to the world around them.

“Drink your fucking beer,” Mickey finally snapped.

“I wasn’t trying to piss you off.”

Not bothering to answer, Mickey grabbed his own bottle and took a large sip as he pulled his fries towards him. Ignoring the fluttering in his stomach from the odd mix of fear and arousal, Ian shifted in his seat and reached for his own food. They sipped their beers quietly and munched on their fries, neither willing to break the silence. When the quiet got too much for Ian to sit comfortably, he sighed and lowered his empty bottle.

“Look, I didn’t mean anything by it,” he started, waiting until Mickey’s eyes were back on his before continuing. “I didn’t mean to make you uneasy. Let’s just forget it happened and move on, alright?”

Mickey watched him for a moment before finally nodding. Relieved by the break in tension, Ian opened his mouth again when his phone started pinging wildly.

“You Mr. Popular or something?” Mickey snorted.

Grabbing his phone, Ian glanced down and groaned. “I’m gonna fucking kill Lip.”

“That supposed to mean something to me?”

Looking up, he saw Mickey’s confused expression and felt his shoulders drop in defeat.

“My fucking older brother decided to butt into my personal life and set up an account for me on some crap dating ap. All those pings are douchebags sending me messages.”

“What do you have, a magic dick or something?” Mickey chuckled, the sound of his laughter making Ian’s anxiety fall away. “You gonna show me or what?”

“The messages? Not gonna show you that.”

“Why? Embarrassed ‘cause you replied to them?” Mickey challenged.

“I didn’t reply!” Ian exclaimed. “You want to see them so fucking bad, slide over here. I’m not broadcasting this shit.”

“Not gonna sit next to you, man. That’s fucking gay,” Mickey’s face scrunched again.

Ian raised his brows without speaking. Sighing in frustration, Mickey slowly started sliding across the booth.

“Keep your fucking hands to yourself.”

“I think I can control myself,” Ian scoffed. “Besides, you’re the one who kept grabbing my hand on the plane so fuck _you_.”

The heated look they gave one another disappeared when Ian’s phone started pinging again.

“Jesus, these guys don’t let up,” he grumbled.

Reaching for the phone, Mickey’s fingers brushed over Ian’s hand before he quickly slid the device towards himself. Focusing on the ap, he scrolled to the middle of the screen, opening a random message from the list. Watching him with a small smile, Ian let his fingers rub against the same spot on his own hand without realizing what he was doing.

“Holy shit,” Mickey laughed, the sound startling Ian from his trance. “Do these jokers really think this shit works?”

“Which one are you reading?” Ian asked, leaning down towards the screen. “I wanna take you home and let you do things to me. Is your dick as big as I’m dreaming?”

“Don’t tell me you fall for this shit,” Mickey chuckled, moving to the next message. “Look at this fucking idiot. Roses are red, violets are blue. I wanna jump on your dick and then fuck you too.”

“Fuck,” Ian laughed, his cheeks slightly pinking.

“How about this fucker?” Mickey kept going. “Dude’s waxing poetry too. Your eyes are green like a forest after a storm. Let me drown inside them for eternity.”

“I don’t know which one’s worse. The guys who get straight to the fucking point, wanting my dick, or the ones who think some amateur flattery will get me going,” Ian’s sighed.

Lifting his arm, he placed it on the back of the booth, his fingers falling dangerously close to Mickey’s shoulder.

“Neither one’s the type for me.”

“Not a lot of options left in between,” Mickey replied quietly.

“Guess I prefer a shit-talking, grumpy asshole to anyone else,” Ian shrugged, his smile slowly growing.

“Fuck off,” Mickey chuckled, breaking through the sudden intensity. “You planning on replying to any of these fuckheads?”

"Hell no,” Ian laughed. “Gonna force Lip to delete the account when I get back home. Did ROTC back in junior year of high school. Not gonna be hard to overpower the scrawny asshole.”

“ROTC, huh?” Mickey asked, lowering the phone and sliding back across the bench, missing Ian’s look of disappointment.

They stared at one another across the booth, the tension filling the space around them again. When the waiter walked up moments later, Mickey quickly schooled his features, staring off to the side with a look that Ian couldn’t read.

“Need anything else?”

“Just the bill,” Ian replied, his eyes focused straight ahead as the waiter lowered their bill to the table and disappeared.

“What’s my damage?” Mickey asked, finally facing Ian again.

“Don’t worry, it’s my treat.”

“This wasn’t a fucking date,” Mickey grumbled. “Tell me what I owe.”

“Fifteen,” Ian sighed.

“For a fucking beer and fries?” Mickey snapped, reaching for his wallet and yanking out a couple bills. “Fucking rip offs.”

Ian smiled at the cranky words, throwing his own change on the table. Rising from the bench at the same time, they stumbled into one another’s paths, their faces stopping inches apart. Swallowing thickly, Mickey blinked once before taking a step back.

“We should probably start heading towards the gate,” Ian muttered, his voice rougher than he wanted.

Moving through the restaurant, they dragged their luggage until they were back in the main hallway. Glancing around himself, Ian’s eyes fell to a restroom several feet away. Ignoring the unreadable look on Mickey’s face, he motioned his head to the spot. They walked together in silence, the only sound coming from Mickey’s broken suitcase as it wobbled behind him. Before Ian could move towards the restroom, Mickey grabbed his arm to stop him.

“I saw another one down that way,” he said, pointing towards the end of the hall, away from the mass of crowds around them.

“What’s wrong with this one?” Ian frowned.

“I like my fucking privacy,” Mickey shrugged, pushing past him to lead the way. “Not everyone likes a fucking audience.”

Ignoring his own confusion, Ian followed him to the end of the corridor. Walking into the empty restroom, Ian left his carry on near the back wall and made his way towards the sink. Switching on the tap, he dabbed his face with cold water, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heartbeat. When he dried his face and tossed the towel away, he saw Mickey standing at the back wall, eyeing him nervously. Slowly turning around, he watched as Mickey bit his lower lip again, the move taking his attention away.

“What?” he suddenly asked, looking back up when he realized he hadn’t heard the other man speak.

“I _said_,” Mickey started, swallowing hard. “Did I fucking read this wrong?”

“Read what wrong?” Ian asked cluelessly.

“This,” Mickey growled, waving his hand in the air.

“The fucking restroom?” Ian frowned.

“No, dumbass. _This_!” Mickey snapped, pointing between them and quickly looking away as Ian’s eyes widened. “Just forget I fucking said anything.”

Before Mickey could move towards the exit, Ian rushed over, closing the distance between them as he pinned Mickey to the wall, his arms caging him in. His chest pressed against Mickey’s back and he felt a shudder run through the other man.

“No,” Ian managed. “You didn’t read it wrong.”

“Fuck,” Mickey whispered, ducking under Ian’s arms and walking towards the furthest stall.

He stepped inside, dragging his carry on behind him. Hesitating only a moment, Ian grabbed his own luggage and rushed to follow, squeezing into the tight spot and shutting the door behind them. They pushed their baggage on either side of the toilet, lowering the lid before Ian spun them around so Mickey was pressed against the door. When his eyes lowered, Mickey shook his head.

“I don’t kiss,” he blurted, the sudden words making Ian snap his gaze back up. “We can get off or whatever but I don’t fucking kiss.”

Ian felt a twinge of disappointment, aching to feel those lips against his own but he quickly swallowed his confusing sadness and smiled instead.

“What do you want?” he asked, letting his confidence slip through his words. “Want my hand?”

“How about you shut up and fucking get on me?”

The shock on Ian’s face made Mickey look away, his defenses rising from the sudden silence.

“Liking what I like don’t make me a bitch,” he growled, ready to push Ian off him.

“Are you kidding me?” Ian started, letting his forehead fall against Mickey’s. “You’re fucking perfect.”

“Stop saying weird shit,” Mickey muttered, feeling his nerves ease away at Ian’s response.

“We have to be quiet,” Ian said, pulling back with a confident smirk. “Think you can do that, Mick?”

“Fuck me hard enough and we’ll see how fucking quiet I can be.”

Letting his smirk turn into a full smile, Ian let his hands travel up to Mickey’s shoulders, running them under his jacket and down his chest. When his fingers moved on unbutton the shirt, Mickey stopped his hands with a sharp shake of his head.

“Don’t need all our clothes off,” he said, slowly turning around and letting his hands rest on the door. “Just get on me, man.”

Ian let his eyes travel down before reaching forward to unbuckle Mickey’s jeans, lowering the pants and boxers to the ground.

“You got a fucking condom?” Mickey suddenly asked, tossing a glare over his shoulder.

“Yeah, I got a fucking condom,” Ian chuckled, reaching in his carry on for the small pouch that held his supplies.

Pulling a condom and a small bottle of lube, he rose back to his feet and quickly lowered his own clothing. Closing the small space that remained between their bodies, Ian felt his heart stutter at the quiet moan that tore from Mickey. Holding the supplies in one hand, he felt across Mickey’s chest and drew lower until his fingers gripped him tightly.

“Hurry up,” Mickey growled, batting his hand away. “Not gonna last fucking long if you do that.”

Smiling against the skin of his shoulder, Ian warmed his fingers before sliding one in. His touch was sure but gentle, moving in tune with Mickey’s panting. Once two fingers became three, Mickey pushed at his arm and nodded. Sliding the condom over himself, Ian took a breath and pressed forward, moving slowly until he was pressed deep.

“Fuck,” he managed, his arms circling around Mickey’s waist, bringing their bodies flush together.

“You packing nine inches? Fuck,” Mickey moaned, his hands trembling against the door.

Holding him even closer, Ian let his lips trail down Mickey’s throat as he started moving. When his mouth reached the spot behind Mickey’s ear, he bit hard and sucked the bruise between his teeth.

“Be quiet,” he reminded, his hips picking up the speed.

Biting his lip to silence his moans, Mickey let his head fall back onto Ian’s shoulder. With one arm still wrapped around the other man’s body, Ian let his free hand travel up until his fingers were laced with Mickey’s. Their bodies moved together easily, their quiet pants the only noise in the small space around them. Hearing the sudden sound of footsteps, they froze their movements, their trembling bodies pressed closely together as the person outside relieved himself at one of the urinals. Once the man had finally walked back out, Mickey dropped his head against the door.

“This was a bad fucking idea,” he muttered.

“Was it?” Ian whispered, circling his hips and smiling at Mickey’s broken moan.

Their bodies started moving together again, inching towards the edge they desperately needed. When Ian’s hand circled around him, it took three strokes before Mickey let go with a silent moan, Ian falling off the edge after him. Letting his hand fall away, Ian wrapped both arms around the other man, his lips leaving small kisses against the heated skin as their breaths slowly evened. Once their hearts had finally calmed, Ian reluctantly pulled away and flushed the condom, both quietly fixing their clothes in the tight space.

Making sure no sounds were coming from the restroom outside, they opened the door and moved towards the sinks, their luggage dragging behind them. Staring at one another through the mirror, they shared a knowing smirk before washing their hands and dabbing cold water against their flushed faces. Before Ian could open his mouth to start a conversation, Mickey nodded towards the door and made his way outside. Clearing the air from his lungs, Ian took a final glance at his face and followed, moving towards Mickey who stood with a tense posture, his gaze cast down.

“Mick,” he started, a sudden ache inside him wanting to reach out and pull the other man into his arms.

“We should go. Don’t wanna miss the fucking flight."

Watching him go, Ian sighed before rushing forward, falling into step beside him. Their zone had already been called, the passengers lined up outside the gate. They showed their passes and walked in silence. When they finally reached their row, Ian placed his carry on inside the overhead bin, stepping back to let Mickey do the same. Lowering into their seats, they buckled their belts and stayed quiet as the last of the passengers boarded the plane.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain again,” the pilot’s voice came through. “We apologize for that minor delay but the technical issue has been fixed and we are good to go. Please stay seated while we begin our ascent. Thank you again for choosing Delta Air.”

When the motors started rumbling, Ian looked over and spread his palm open, unsure of the reaction. Instead of glowering like Ian had guessed, Mickey let a small smile curve his lips before lacing their hands together.

“No fucking comment out of you,” he muttered, ignoring the goofy smile on Ian’s face.

They held hands in silence until the plane was back in the air. When the flight attendants started pushing their carts down the aisles again, Mickey slowly pulled his hand free.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” Ian smiled, leaning in closer. “Like I wasn’t just inside you?”

“Shut up!” Mickey hissed, glancing at the seats around them.

“Give me a kiss and I will.”

“Fuck you,” Mickey snapped. “I told you I don’t kiss.”

“Doesn’t have to be the lips,” Ian whispered, pressing his face to Micky’s neck and taking a small bite.

“Fucking asshole,” Mickey muttered, but the flush was back on his skin as he rubbed the bruised spot.

“Are we gonna talk about what happened?” Ian asked, rolling his eyes at Mickey’s confusion. “Are we gonna talk about the heart stopping fuck we just had.”

“Was it that good for you, Red?” Mickey smirked, keeping his voice low. “Top twenty at best.”

The glare Ian gave him made Mickey throw his head back and laugh. When he turned towards the ginger again, Ian’s gaze had softened.

“You have a nice laugh,” he smiled, the words private between them.

“Quit making shit emotional,” Mickey swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. “We fucked. It was good. End of story.”

“Is that what you want?” Ian asked as their eyes met. “One time thing?”

“You expecting something different?”

“You said top twenty. My reputation’s at stake,” Ian shrugged. “How about you drop that blanket on your lap so I can reach over and change my standing?”

“I’ll give you top ten if you knock that shit off,” Mickey hissed, his eyes darting around them again.

Ian bit his lip to stop the smile that was forming. “I live in Chicago, you live in Chicago. I like you and you maybe sort of don’t hate me.”

“There a fucking point to this?” Mickey growled.

“I wanna see you again.”

The five words were enough to make Mickey freeze. He stared down at his hands for several seconds, blinking through his nerves before facing Ian again.

“I don’t fucking date,” he managed, licking his parched lips.

“Not asking you to marry me,” Ian smiled. “But maybe we can do this again. Maybe somewhere better than the airport toilet.”

“We met, we fucked, end of story.”

The light dimmed in Ian’s eyes, the smile replaced by disappointment. He quickly cleared his throat and schooled his features but Mickey had already seen through him.

“If that’s what you want.”

Rising from his seat, he made an excuse to use the bathroom and hurried to the end of the plane, shutting the stall door behind him. Glancing at his reflection in the mirror, he ran a hand down his face in frustration. His life had been a series of hits and misses, things he shouldered the blame for and others that were out of his control. His romantic life had been one disaster after another once he had come to terms with his sexual preferences at fifteen. He’d been with men his own age and several that had been older, but none had left his heart racing after a single encounter the way Mickey had.

Tattooed, foul-mouthed and rude. Ian smirked at the thought of Mickey being his type, one he never knew he had before then. He could play it off as a one time thing the way Mickey had suggested, go on with his own life remembering the other man as one of the best sexual encounters he had ever experienced. But something inside him craved for more. When he had held Mickey tight against his chest, moving together so easily as if their bodies had been created for one another, all Ian had wanted was to keep the other man close. He had yearned to kiss him, to bruise the smooth skin of his neck and leave his own mark, a possessiveness he had never felt before. It scared him, wanting the other man as strongly as he did, but none of it mattered if Mickey only saw him as a one night stand. The thought of never seeing Mickey again scared and upset him in equal measure, leaving Ian on edge. It had been years since he last lost hold on his emotions but his heart refused to cooperate. Switching on the faucet, he dabbed his face with cold water, needing to mask his emotions before going outside again.

Waiting for Ian to come back, Mickey sank in his seat and stared down at his clenched fists. His face scrunched together in anger as his mind wandered back to his trip, returning home to Chicago without a resolution to the situation he was in. Getting fucked had not been high on his priority list but Ian had taken him by surprise, his bright hair, green eyes and confident smile knocking Mickey’s walls down bit by bit. Could he let Ian go and leave it as a random encounter he’d never see again?

Mickey sighed as he turned his face towards the window. Everything about the past few hours had left him on edge. His childhood, his life, his fucked up existence, everything to that point had been about survival and keeping his truths hidden. But a part of him, a part deep down inside that he had managed to keep quiet for so much of his life kept pressing him to be honest. Closing his eyes, he ran his hands roughly across his face. As much as it terrified him to give in to the sudden feelings Ian had woken inside him, his need to experience that feeling again outweighed the survival instincts he had clung to through his life.

“Hey,” Ian said, cutting through Mickey’s thoughts as he sank back in his own seat and buckled his belt.

He gave Mickey a small smile, hoping his face was selling the lies he had prepared himself to say.

“You looking for a fuck buddy or something?”

Ian was taken aback, staring at Mickey for a long moment as he tried to understand.

“No,” he eventually said. “But what we did back at the airport, it felt too good to leave it as a one time thing.”

“Need to redeem yourself from top twenty?” Mickey asked quietly.

Ian’s smile slowly returned. “Something like that.”

Their eyes stayed locked for several long seconds, a charge filling the space. Licking his lips out of habit, Mickey glanced around them, making sure no one was listening in on their conversation.

“Don’t fucking expect much,” he finally said, lowering his voice enough that Ian found himself leaning in. “I don’t date or fucking kiss. Was serious about that shit. You wanna fuck again? Gotta do it behind closed doors, no more reckless, out in the open shit like before. Take it or leave it.”

Ian sat back and watched the other man for a few moments. His eyes quickly cast down but he didn’t see a ring or a tan line. With marriage out of the equation, all he could think was that Mickey was still closeted. His jumpiness, eyes darting across the crowd around them and his need to keep things secret led Ian to the same conclusion. The thought dampened Ian’s mood, his past experiences leaving him bitter, refusing to repeat the same mistakes. But one glance into Mickey’s eyes, looking past the tough surface, he saw a mix of fear and want staring back.

“Okay,” he found himself agreeing.

Their gazes lingered on each other, never breaking until a voice crackled through the speakers and snapped them from their daze.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to say that we picked up good speed and are arriving slightly earlier than expected,” the pilot announced. “Local time in Chicago is just after six in the evening and temperatures are mild. We will be arriving in about twenty minutes.”

When the pilot switched off, the flight attendant took over.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as we start our descent, please ensure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position, your seatbelt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat, in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you.”

“Almost home,” Ian said, opening his palm and turning his head towards Mickey with a genuine smile.

Muttering an insult out of habit, Mickey hid his smile at the offered comfort and reached out to slide his hand between Ian’s. When the plane began its dive, Mickey squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his grip. All Ian could do was smile, his heartbeat ticking wildly from the warm touch that connected them together. The moment they landed and began easing down the runway, Mickey opened his eyes and looked over to see Ian watching him, his eyes shining.

“What?” he asked, hating his sudden flush at the intense gaze.

Getting a hold of himself, Ian shook his head. “You feel better?”

“Thanks,” Mickey muttered, dragging his hand away.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Chicago,” the stewardess announced. “For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the Captain turns off the Seat Belt sign. We thank you for flying with Delta Air and hope to see you again.”

The plane continued moving for another minute before slowly coming to a stop by the designated gate. When the belt lights clicked off, the passengers rose and began gathering their baggage. Ian stepped out into the aisle like before, pushing his carry on behind him. Smirking from the memory of their last exit, he glanced back at Mickey and waved his hand forward. Mickey rolled his eyes but the smile on his face was apparent as he grabbed his own luggage and moved to stand in front of Ian again.

The crowd remained silent as they waited for the doors to open. With his mood lifted, Ian slowly raised his left arm, hidden among the seats, and reached out to grab Mickey’s waist. The shorter man swallowed but made no other movement. Biting his lip, Ian took a small step forward, keeping his gaze focused on the crowd to avoid any suspicion. He felt Mickey tense when he closed the distance between their bodies. Changing his footing, he tilted his hips forward, pressing against Mickey from behind. The quiet gasp was enough to make Ian smile but before he could slide his hand down between their bodies, he yelped at the sudden kick to his shin.

“Sorry, man, I didn’t see you back there,” Mickey grinned as Ian hobbled in pain.

He swallowed his embarrassment when the small crowd around them chuckled, glaring at Mickey who turned around to face forward again. Before he could think of a way to take his revenge, the doors opened and the crowd began filing down the aisle towards the exit. Once they were free from the tunnel and out into open space, Ian reached out and grabbed Mickey’s arm.

“Stop kicking me. That shit hurts.”

“Stop doing shit that makes me wanna kick you,” Mickey shrugged.

Their staring contest lasted until Ian finally looked away, unable to hide his smile from forming.

“You got more luggage or just that sorry excuse you’ve been dragging?”

Mickey raised his middle finger, ignoring the gasp from an elderly couple walking past them. Laughing loudly, Ian shook his head and led the way forward towards the exits.

“So I guess this is where I ask you what your last name is and take your number,” he started, stopping to face Mickey as they stepped through the doors. “Would like to get my next shot at redeeming myself sooner rather than later.”

“Fucking eager much?” Mickey snorted but his cheeks held a faint blush that made Ian want to pull their bodies close together again.

“Preferably somewhere with a bed,” he said, his smirk playful as he stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Get you on your back and fuck you nice and slow for hours.”

“Fuck,” Mickey stuttered, pushing him backwards a few inches. “Stop saying that shit in public.”

Before Ian could answer, movement up ahead caught his eyes.

“Ian!”

Both glanced forward and watched as an Indian man in his late thirties rushed over, smiling brightly with his eyes focused on Ian. When he pushed through the last part of the crowd, he cut off Ian’s words and pressed their lips together, holding onto Ian’s head to stop him from moving away. Staring at the scene with a mix of shock and anger, Mickey’s eyes narrowed.

“Fucking asshole,” he muttered, disappearing into the crowd behind them.

“Kash, get off me!” Ian stammered, pushing the older man away and wiping his mouth, ignoring the stares they were getting from the passing crowd around them. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“I missed you,” the other man smiled nervously.

“For fuck’s sake,” Ian snapped, spinning around and freezing when the spot beside him was empty.

Taking several steps forward, his eyes quickly scanned the crowd, regret settling when he realized Mickey had left. The disappointment he felt was crushing, making his shoulders drop in defeat as he turned back around.

“Go back to your family, Kash,” Ian muttered, pushing past the other man to storm outside.

“I brought the car. Linda had a Doctor’s appointment,” Kash hurried after him. “I can give you a ride. Maybe we can drive around for a bit.”

The suggestion behind the words made the anger Ian felt multiply. Not bothering with a reply, he rushed towards the taxi line, slipping inside the closest one and slamming the door behind him. As the driver pulled away from the curb, Ian pressed his head back against the seat and let his eyes fall shut in frustration.

  
********

Unlocking the door to his apartment, Mickey stormed inside, pushing his baggage to the floor. Slamming the door shut behind him, he turned around and threw an angry fist at the wall, pulling his hand back without feeling any pain.

“Mickey?”

Reigning in his anger, he turned around to see his sister walking towards him.

“What the fuck are you punching the wall for?”

“Just pissed off,” he muttered, moving past her towards the kitchen.

Grabbing a beer, he slid off the lid and chugged it down, letting the cool liquid ease his anger away.

“I guess the trip really was a bust?” she asked quietly.

Taking a deep breath, he turned back towards her and sighed. “A bust in every fucking way.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I have no fucking idea, Mandy,” he finally said, leaving his empty bottle in the sink.

“Tomorrow’s a new day. Start there and wait for Dave to call, I guess,” she suggested, tossing her raven hair behind her shoulder.

He nodded and rubbed his tired eyes. “I’m fucking exhausted. Gonna shower and go to bed.”

“Mickey,” she started, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving. “Are you sure that’s all it is? You look extra angry.”

“Got a lot of fucking reasons to be,” he snapped. “You done analyzing me?”

“Stop being such a cranky asshole!” she spat, shoving his arm away.

“Missed you too, skank,” he grinned.

His words had the effect he wanted with Mandy laughing as she pushed past him towards her bedroom.

“There’s leftover lasagna is the fridge if you’re hungry,” she called over her shoulder. “And you have a fucking hickey on your neck!”

His hand shot to his throat as Mandy slammed her door shut. Muttering angrily at his own carelessness, he rushed to his room and grabbed a clean change of clothes before locking himself in the bathroom. Pulling the clothes off his body, he tossed them in the hamper and switched on the shower. Before he stepped under the hot steam, his eyes caught sight of the bruise Mandy had mentioned.

“Fucking asshole.”

  
********

“Ian!” his sister’s voice came barreling through the house as he closed the door.

Chaos and commotion flew through the space as Ian moved into the kitchen to catch his younger sister nursing her baby daughter at the table without care.

“Fuck, Debs, do I really need to see that shit?” he whined, looking away.

“I was here first, dickhead. Feel free to leave,” she waved towards the rest of the house.

Moving past her towards the living space, he took in the scattered belongings strewn around the house.

“Ian, what’s up?”

He spun around to see his younger brother walk past him, his baggy jeans almost falling from his waist.

“Wannabe gangster, where’s Liam?”

“V’s watching him!” Carl shouted back, letting the door slam shut as he went.

Making his way upstairs to the small bedroom he shared with Lip, he dropped his bags on the floor and fell back on his mattress, letting his arm cover his face in exhaustion.

“There he fucking is,” Lip’s voice broke through before Ian’s mind could wander. “Welcome home, bro.”

He felt the mattress sink beside him and opened his eyes to see Lip grinning down.

“You make any connections on the ap?”

“Fuck you for making that profile and especially fuck you for using that photo,” Ian snapped, sitting up and pushing his back against the wall. “Phone kept going nuts with messages.”

“Any good potentials?” Lip smirked.

“Just a bunch of fucking assholes who think “I want your dick” actually works,” Ian muttered.

Lip’s answering laugh made Ian smack his pillow at his brother’s face. When they settled down minutes later, Lip took a sip of his water and watched his brother for a thoughtful moment.

“Something else happen? You look extra moody,” he finally said. “Did you take your pills?"

Ian gave him a glare that made Lip roll his eyes. "Stop asking me that. I met someone."

“From the ap?” Lip snorted.

“No, not from the fucking ap!” Ian snapped. “At the airport, this guy who was on my flight. Grumpy as hell. This old guy started flirting with me because of the ap. Thanks so much again for that, asshole."

“Fucking old creeps. I'll kick their asses myself," Lip suddenly said, his voice firm in a way that reminded Ian why he loved his brother most days.

"I don't know why everyone thinks I can't handle myself," he finally said. "Before I could tell him off, this guy came out of no where and got rid of him. Tried talking to him after but he was pissed off and cussed me out for no reason.”

“So naturally, that's Ian talk for love at first sight?”

“Fuck you,” Ian rolled his eyes, ignoring his brother’s smirk. “Thought the guy was a total jerk but we ended up sitting next to each other on the plane. 

“Of course you did,” Lip interjected, holding his hands up when Ian tossed him a glare.

“He grabbed my hand on the flight ‘cause he was nervous about flying.”

“He held your hand?” Lip asked, cackling when Ian nodded. “Fucking romantic.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Ian snapped. “Pretty sure he’s still in the closet or something but we started talking. Plane landed in Vegas for a bit and we got off, wandered around together, got a drink. Then the fucking ap started pinging from all the messages and we started talking some more. His eyes were fucking gorgeous.”

“So you fell in love. Keep going.”

“Fuck you,” Ian exclaimed again, his agitation rising. “I’m not saying I fell in love. I’m saying I felt a connection with him. It just felt so right when I was holding him, when I was with him.”

“You fucked him?” Lip asked before laughing again. “Why am I surprised? You fuck just about everything that moves.”

“Not anymore, fuckhead!” Ian shouted, smacking him with his pillow again. “This guy was different. What I felt was different. The connection, it fucking shook me but I didn’t want it to end. He said he didn’t date or kiss but then he seemed more open to us meeting up again.”

“So why the long face?” Lip asked, the boredom he was feeling bleeding through his words.

“'Cause fucking Kash came out of nowhere when we landed, walked right up and kissed me in front of Mickey.”

“Kash?” Lip asked before doubling over in laughter.

“It’s not funny, Lip!”

His heated words made Lip laugh even harder, scrambling back to his feet when Ian pushed him off the bed.

“Alright, I’m sorry,” he held his hands up, forcing his laughter to die down. “What the fuck was Kash doing there? Did you tell him when you were landing? Don’t tell me you’re fucking him again!”

“One time!” Ian whined. “Biggest mistake of my life!”

The sudden sober look on Lip’s face made Ian backtrack.

“Alright, maybe not the worst but definitely top ten,” he muttered. “I turned around and Mickey was gone. Didn’t even get his full name or number or anything.”

“Maybe it’s for the best. If the guy’s in the closet, that’s added stress you don’t need,” Lip offered.

“You don’t understand,” Ian sighed sadly. “I’ve never felt anything like it before. It just felt right.”

Seeing the genuine sadness in his brother’s voice, Lip leaned forward and patted his shoulder. “Sorry, man.”

He nodded and looked away, staring through the open door towards the end of the hallway. “How’s she doing?”

“Fiona?” Lip asked, sighing heavily. “Not too fucking great.”

Rising from the bed, he followed Lip towards the closed bedroom, all thoughts of Mickey leaving his mind for that moment. When the door opened and he peered inside at his older sister, Ian felt his heart break for the second time that day.


	2. TWO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. Life is chaotic! Really wish workplace harassment of any kind didn't exist but sadly, it does.

*****

Sitting at the small kitchen table, Mickey took a sip from the bitter coffee and lowered his mug, reaching out with his free hand to rub his temple. After tossing and turning for most of the night, he’d finally given up at four, aimlessly flipping through the channels to keep his mind off of Ian and his wasted trip. As hard as the weekend had been, not finding the answers he had wanted, meeting Ian had brought him a sliver of happiness. The Ginger had caught him by surprise and Mickey had found himself wanting whatever connection they had built to last longer than the few hours they had shared.

The moment the stranger had pulled Ian into a kiss, the small hope Mickey had dared himself to feel for the first time in years had been shattered in a matter of seconds. All he could see was Ian and the stranger, mouths locked together, bodies pressed flush. A part of him had wanted to reach out and throw a couple punches, to take out his anger on Ian for making him believe that it was more than a casual lay between strangers. But as he stood in the airport looking around himself, seeing all the faces had stopped Mickey cold. He was back in Chicago and everything were different.

“How long have you been awake?”

Snapping out of his thoughts, he glanced up to see Mandy watching him from the hallway, her brows closed in with a thoughtful expression. When he grabbed his coffee instead of answering, she rolled her eyes and took the seat beside him.

“Mick,” she started, waiting until he met her eyes before speaking again. “Look, I don’t know what else happened on your trip but you gotta keep your head in the game right now. Today’s really important.”

“Think I don’t fucking know that?” he grumbled, rising from his chair and moving to the sink. “Gotta give a good fucking image, right?”

“Yeah, you do,” she nodded.

Dropping his clean mug on the counter, he turned back towards her and raised his knuckles. “Think these give a good fucking image?”

“You said the guy didn’t mind when he was interviewing you. He actually thought it brought in a different flavor or some other shit,” she reminded. “You’re gonna do fine. Just maybe don’t swear as fucking much.”

“Thanks for the fucking advice. You done?” he sighed, pushing off the counter to grab his jacket.

“How about I come meet you for lunch?” she offered, walking with him towards the door. “I can come upstairs, mingle a bit, paint you in a better fucking light than you’ll be able to manage.”

“That a joke?” he snorted in the hallway. “You’re fucking worse than I am.”

“Name one instance,” she asked, crossing her arms in offense.

“How about that time you ran over that girl with your fucking car,” he said, grinning at her narrowed gaze.

“Go break a leg, Mick!” she snapped, slamming the door in his face.

Rubbing his temple from the headache he felt beginning to take shape, he stepped inside the lift and made his way downstairs, already eager for the day to end.

  
********

“Fiona, you gotta get up,” Ian tried coaxing his older sister out of bed.

“Leave me alone,” she mumbled, rolling away from his side and burying herself under the blanket.

“Come on, you gotta eat something. You haven’t ate in two fucking days,” he tried again.

“Leave me the fuck alone!” she shouted, her voice muffled from the covers.

Rubbing the exhaustion from his face, he left her side and forced himself towards the lone bathroom upstairs. Opening the medicine cabinet, he grabbed the four bottles and pulled a pill from each one. Staring at his own reflection, he hesitated for a moment, his hand fisting around the pills he knew he had to take. Hearing Lip’s voice closing in, he filled his cup from the faucet and downed the pills in an instant, washing his face to hide the tiredness that refused to fade.

“She still in bed?” Lip asked, following him down the hall to their shared bedroom.

“Won’t get up no matter what I try,” Ian sighed, changing into his grey slacks and white dress shirt before fitting the black tie around his neck. “We’ve let it go on for too damn long. We gotta do something different.”

“You mean pick her coked-out ass off the floor and force her into fucking rehab?” Lip snorted, the anger he felt simmering under his guise of indifference. “Didn’t fucking work last time, remember?”

Ian turned to face his brother, his narrowed gaze full of steel. “Last time was fucking different and you know it.”

“Whatever,” Lip rolled his eyes. “Can’t deal with her shit today. Gotta get to work and so do you.”

Sighing from the dismissal in Lip’s tone, Ian grabbed his jacket and followed him down the stairs, stepping past a crying Franny to grab a slice of toast from the fridge.

“She ever gonna stop crying?” Lip grumbled, tossing a glance at Debbie who glared back.

“I fed her, changed her, burped her, even sang her a song,” she said, her shoulders dropping in exhaustion. “V should be here soon. Maybe she can do some Mommy magic and get her to calm down.”

“Make sure you watch Fiona today. Try to get her out of bed if you can,” Ian said around a mouthful of bread.

“Are you fucking kidding me? I have my hands full with Franny,” Debbie snapped, lifting her crying daughter in her arms. “Get Carl to stick around for a fucking change. He can’t just show up here to eat and sleep. He’s gotta fucking contribute too.”

“Next time we see him, we’ll gang up on his hoodlum ass. Good enough?” Lip offered.

Rolling her eyes at her older siblings, she turned around just as Liam walked into the kitchen.

“Morning, buddy,” Lip smiled, lifting his younger brother off the ground and planting him on a chair. “Here’s some milk and cereal. Be good for Debbie and Aunt V today, alright?”

Liam yawned in response as both older boys ruffled his hair. Ignoring the shrieking cries from Debbie’s baby girl, they made their way outside and shut the door behind them.

“Off I go to Cliff’s Diner,” Lip muttered, slipping a smoke between his lips. “Fucking useless job.”

“Hey, one day at a time, remember,” Ian said, reaching out to pat his brother’s shoulder. “You’ll get there again. Just give it some time.”

“It just fucking bothers me,” Lip sighed. “My little brother being the main wage earner in this house.”

“You forgetting all the fucking mistakes I made a few years ago? All that shit we went through because of me?”

“That wasn’t your fault. You were sick,” Lip argued.

“Yeah, I was and I still am but even I’m tired of using that excuse all the fucking time,” Ian shrugged. “Look, shit’s hard right now but what else is new. We’ll get through it like always.”

Lip watched him for a moment before his mouth curved into a grin. “Still can’t believe you fucking fell in love with airport guy. Did you dream you guys got married and had babies last night?”

“Enjoy cleaning the toilets, you dick,” Ian snapped, pushing past his brother down the street.

Lip continued shouting after him but Ian ignored his words and focused on his steps towards the train. As much as Lip grated on his nerves, he knew he wasn’t wrong. All he could think about last night was Mickey as he tossed in bed, how good it had felt holding him, pressing into him. The feelings had taken him by surprise but now all Ian was left with was regret.

The morning rush was filled with the same passengers he had grown to recognize over the past eighteen months, taking the same route to his office every day. Stuck between a hefty man who licked his lips as he stared at Ian and a paranoid woman who clutched her purse beside him, Ian closed his eyes as he rode the EL downtown. Reaching his stop after twenty minutes, he slid through the crowd and made his way across the street to the towering building he hated. Stepping off the elevator on the twentieth floor, he moved through the noisy hallway until he reached the Marketing wing, falling onto the empty chair next to his coworkers’ desk.

“Welcome back,” Rita smiled, giving him her thousand watt smile. “How was the trip?”

She was older by a decade but her youthful spirit had made Ian fond of her on his first day, the one true ally he had in the whole office.

“Didn’t find Jimmy,” he sighed, reaching to grab her full mug of coffee before she could take a sip.

She rolled her eyes but smiled, waving at him in lieu of permission. “Your family still thinks you went for a meeting?”

“Wasn’t gonna get their hopes up for nothing and I was right. I didn’t find him so I’m glad I didn’t say anything,” he shrugged, taking another sip.

“Something’s up with you,” she said, squinting her eyes to watch his expression. “You gonna tell me what else happened?”

“Nothing happened,” he lied, using his coffee as a distraction.

“Alright, then I’ll tell you about my weekend,” she started. “I wanted to have some fun time with Bob since we’ve been in a rut the past year. I dressed up all sexy in this new lace teddy I spent an hour picking out at the mall the other day.”

“Rita, I really don’t wanna hear about your sexy time with Bob,” he cut in. “Isn’t this conversation inappropriate for work anyway?”

“I’m sorry, how many casual one night stands have I had to listen you complain about?” she gave Ian a look that quickly silenced him. “I got all dressed up and started doing this sexy dance and guess what? He was asleep on the bed! Still holding the damn TV remote in his hand.”

Ian threw his head back and laughed, dodging her when she reached out to slap his chest.

“Fucking Bob,” she grumbled as Ian let his laughter die away. “He woke up in the middle of the night, rolled over and started humping me from behind. His breath still smelled like cheese.”

Ian rolled over in another fit of laughter. “Did you guys end up getting it on?”

“No!” she snapped. “I pushed him off the bed, threw his pillow at him and made him sleep downstairs.”

“Marriage,” he shook his head. “That’s why I’ll never fucking get married. All the people I know from the South Side who’ve been dumb enough to take that challenge, it’s like the heat just died the moment they signed the dotted lines.”

“Not every marriage is like that and not every guy is _Bob_,” she reminded. “Besides, you’re a romantic, Ian. When you meet the right guy, when you really fall in love, you’ll want all of that and knowing you the way I do, I know you’ll make it work, heat unbroken until the very end.”

He smiled at the genuine turn in her voice, grateful in those moments for having her as a friend.

“So, do you wanna tell me what else happened?” she asked, leaning back.

His head whipped behind him towards the offices and she shook her head to ease him.

“He’s on a call with New York. Won’t be done for a while.”

Sighing heavily, he ran a hand through his hair and gave in. “I met a guy at the airport.”

The sudden interest showed on her face as she leaned over her desk, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Tell me more.”

“He kind of saved me from this old guy that was hitting on me,” Ian started before snorting. “Saved me? I could have dealt with the douche on my own but it was nice, what he did.”

“Seems like a Prince Charming,” she gushed.

He chuckled at her words and shook his head. “Furthest thing from it. Was an asshole afterwards, told me off. He was so damn gorgeous though, with those blue fucking eyes. But I hated him. We ended up sitting next to each other on the plane and he reached for my hand ‘cause he was nervous about flying. We started talking and everything just changed.”

“Did you sleep with him?” she whispered, seeing a few members from Accounting walking past them down the hallway.

“Yeah, the plane had to stop midway at Vegas and we had sex in a toilet stall at the airport.”

“So classy,” she teased.

“Not the best place,” he said, staring off to the side. “I’ve had bad sex, decent sex and good sex. This was different.”

“Different bad or different good?”

“Different good,” he smiled, his expression growing sad as he faced her again. “He was an asshole for most of the time we were around each other but none of that really mattered. He was fucking perfect. I can’t even describe how good it felt being with him. Never knew it could feel like that.”

“Ian,” she said, smiling as she reached out to grab his hand. “So trash talking guy who defends you and tells you off in the same breath is your type. You met him and had amazing sex. Why the long face?”

“I never got his full name or number. Don’t know who he is,” he sighed, looking over Rita’s shoulder. “_He_ happened.”

Glancing behind her, Rita’s eyes narrowed as she watched Kash make his way towards them with a bright smile on his face.

“Good morning, Ian,” he greeted, stopping on the opposite side of the desk. “It was really good seeing you last night. Wish we could have spent more time together.”

“Hi Kash,” Rita cut in with the fakest smile she could manage. “How are Linda and the kids?”

He stumbled backwards nervously, looking away from her accusing stare. “Can we grab lunch, Ian? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“He just got back and he has a pile of paperwork on his desk,” Rita answered for him. “How about you go back to Sales and let him start his day?”

He tossed her a quick glare before disappearing down the hallway.

“You should really let me film that pervert flirting with you next time,” she growled. “I can send it anonymously to Linda. She should know who her fucking husband is.”

“Just let it go,” he pleaded. “I’ll keep ignoring it like always.”

She watched him for a moment before giving in. “So how did Kash ruin it?”

“By showing up at the airport and kissing me right in front of Mickey,” Ian replied, rolling his eyes when Rita burst into laughter.

“I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t laugh. Kash is such a creep and it sucks that he ruined things for you and this Mickey guy,” she started. “But you really have the worst luck sometimes.”

“Ian!”

They glanced back towards the office behind them and sighed together as Ian rose to his feet.

“This conversation isn’t over!” she called out, watching as he made his way towards the office on the right.

Walking inside, he stopped just inside the door as his boss Ned twisted in his chair to face him.

“There you are,” the older man smiled, leaving his seat to walk around Ian and close the door.

Taking a deep breath, Ian ignored the urge to move away when his boss pressed his hands against his neck from behind.

“I missed you,” Ned whispered, massaging into the warm skin before leaning in towards his ear. “Did you miss me?”

“Ned, we talked about this,” Ian started, discreetly taking a step back as he faced the older man. “I just have so much going on in my life and this job is important to me. I need to focus on those things right now.”

“I know you do,” Ned nodded, his smile refusing to leave. “But remember, Ian. _I_ was the one who brought you here, gave you this job. I don’t mind you playing hard to get, I enjoy a good chase. But I can only wait so long.”

He gave another lengthy smile before moving back to his seat.

“The Vice President scheduled a meeting for ten in the boardroom. Go get settled and then we’ll head down together.”

All Ian could do was nod before opening the door and walking the few steps past Rita’s desk to the opposite office. It was smaller than Ned’s but a small couch was still fitted against the windows stretching from floor to ceiling. Slipping behind his desk, he switched on his computer and leaned back, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

When Rita walked into his room after several minutes, he was nose deep responding to emails, oblivious to her presence until she waved her hand in his face.

“Thought you could use another one,” she offered a new mug of coffee.

He smiled in thanks and took a sip, letting the hot liquid settle the nerves in his stomach as he drank.

“Why does Ned always close his door when you go in there?” she demanded.

“No reason,” he quickly said, lowering the mug back to his desk. “Just talks a lot about the different clients and portfolios. Kind of paranoid so he closes the door.”

Before she could argue or comment, a noise at his door made them turn towards the hallway to see their Head of HR waving to get their attention.

“Come on, you two,” Abby called out. “Meeting’s starting in a couple minutes.”

Finishing his last email, he pushed from his desk and grabbed his coffee, following Rita towards the boardroom at the end of the hall. Standing at the empty spot on the left with Rita at his side, he groaned when Kash burst through the doors with the rest of the group from Sales. Reacting quickly, Rita pulled Abby away from her corner and gently pushed her to Ian’s other side. She gave Kash a knowing smirk and watched as the other man moved to stand on the opposite wall with his colleagues.

“Is there something I need to know regarding Kash?” Abby asked, her irritation obvious.

“He smells like cheese,” Rita shrugged, exchanging a quick smile with Ian.

“Good Morning to you all,” their VP greeted, capturing their attention.

The office gave a murmured reply as Todd smiled between their gloomy faces.

“Not every impromptu meeting is bad,” the older man chuckled, smiling when the fifty employees eased from the anxiety that filled the room. “Let’s get right to it. I had a meeting with our President and our shareholders and the news is not as good as we wanted. The first two quarters of the year, our numbers have been dwindling. Our company sells beauty and skincare products but our sales figures have been declining. The market is rapidly growing but we’re being left behind by our competitors. Someone tell me why.”

“We need better marketing,” a voice suggested.

“Hey!” Ned started, glancing to the back of the room.

“Yes, our marketing definitely needs a boost but keep going,” Todd addressed the group.

“Most of our products aren’t all natural,” Ian suggested, swallowing when all eyes fell on him. “I just mean that consumers are becoming more aware of the effect that their food and drink has on their skin. They’re growing more health conscious as a result and that includes the products they use on their skin.”

“That’s a major point that was brought up at the meeting,” Todd smiled before facing the others. “What else?”

When the room remained silent, Todd took a step forward, switching from carefree to serious in a matter of seconds.

“Our Product Managers have mentioned some other big trends that could get us in the door against our competitors,” he started. “Advanced face masks, at home skincare that can provide salon level beauty treatments, ingestible beauty products, dry brushing and so forth. A lot of new, innovative ideas that our competitors are already advancing in and we need to do the same.”

Taking a step backwards, the older man raised his hand towards the open door behind him.

“With that in mind, we decided to change things up in the office a bit,” Todd continued, his easy smile returning. “Most everyone here has an Ivy League or State University education. We lucked out with Ian over in Marketing. He may not have the top notch educational background to match, but he has a lot of smarts and he has proved himself in our marketing campaigns the past eighteen months.”

Ian lowered his gaze and took a sip of his coffee, hearing the insult buried behind the praise.

“So we decided that we need more people like him,” Todd exclaimed. “Please welcome Briana Lu, our new member for IT. She has an incredibly impressive resume and a lot of hands on experience.”

A young Asian woman walked inside, glancing up from under her thick bangs. Giving a quick wave, she pushed away towards the opposite wall, a suspicious look in her eyes as she peeked around the room. Ian heard the VP continue his speech as an older man was introduced to Sales, but his focus drew back towards Mickey. Pressing his thumb at his lips, he felt a wave of regret settle inside him again.

“Last up, we have a new member for our Marketing team,” Todd cut through his thoughts. “As we all know, outside of Ian and Rita, the turnover rate has been high in the department. None of the new employees have worked out the way we wanted.”

Ned gave a shrug and a smile but his eyes glanced over towards Ian. Feeling the nudge against his side, Ian ignored Rita’s silent glare and kept his focus forward instead.

“He has good work experience from the past couple years but what impressed me is the street smarts he came with,” Todd continued. “Born and raised in the South Side, he understands the different class of Chicagoans better than the rest of us. That can go a long way when we try to cater to all the different markets out there. Everyone needs skincare products, not just the wealthy or the elite.”

Raising his mug to his lips, Ian took a large sip, letting the hot liquid settle on his tongue.

“Come on in!” Todd exclaimed.

Before Ian could swallow the thick coffee, his eyes lifted towards the door. The moment the vacancy at the doorframe ended, Ian’s mouth burst open, spitting a spray of coffee over the desk and chairs, narrowly missing their VP who leapt back in amazement. Ignoring the muttered voices around him, Ian’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes locked with Mickey’s.


	3. THREE

*****

“Holy fuck!” Ian snapped, his eyes frozen on Mickey at the door.

The room grew silent around them, all eyes watching in surprise. Realizing his slip, Ian quickly glanced back at their VP with a flush.

“Sorry! Liquid went down the wrong pipe,” he stumbled through his words. “Fuck, sorry, shit!”

Todd chuckled at his nerve-riddled apology and shook his head. “You should hear me on the phone with our London office. It happens.”

Giving another quick smile, Ian turned his gaze back towards the door to see Mickey watching his every move, awareness and surprise filling his eyes.

“I’d like you all to make our newest members feel welcome and our President, shareholders and myself are confident that they will help give us the edge we need and bring our numbers back up,” Todd finished. “Welcome aboard.”

With a final nod towards the group, the VP stepped over the stain of coffee and walked down the hall. Ian could hear HR explaining the basics to the newest members but his eyes were glued on Mickey. Spotting Kash making his way over, Ian groaned as Mickey quickly glanced back towards them.

“Ian, you’re all dirty now,” Kash blushed at his own words, pulling his handkerchief out. “Let me help you clean up.”

Looking over Kash’s shoulder, he saw the recognition in Mickey’s eyes, quickly replaced by a venomous glare that made his heart fall.

“Kash, he’s fine,” Rita snapped, pushing the handkerchief away as the rest of the office filed out of the boardroom.

“Ian,” Abby captured his attention and he finally glanced towards his Head of HR. “Will you show Mickey around the office? Get him acclimated with your department?”

“Yeah, of course,” he nodded, swallowing hard.

Abby gave him a pat on his shoulder and turned towards Kash with an expectant smile. Once both had left the boardroom, Rita twirled towards him with a frown.

“What the hell was that?” she chuckled.

“Later,” he whispered, feeling Mickey’s eyes on him.

She hesitated for a moment longer before spinning around and walking out. Taking a deep breath, Ian took a few steps forward, closing the distance between them. They stared at one another in silence, neither able to open their mouths until Ian moved even closer.

“How are you here?” he finally asked.

“You miss that whole speech in there?” Mickey snapped. “I’m the new guy.”

“Yeah, I fucking heard it,” Ian said with a quick breath. “Mickey, I can’t believe you’re here. I was going crazy last night when you left the airport. I didn’t even get your name before you ducked out on me.”

“Can we not fucking do this right now?” Mickey muttered, glancing behind him to the empty hallway. “HR told you to show me around so how about we fucking do that?”

“Okay,” Ian nodded, his smile nervous. “Okay, we can do that. Come on.”

Stepping out of the boardroom, he waited until Mickey had moved beside him before they started walking down the hallway side by side.

“This is Customer Service,” he started, waving towards the six women and two men seated in the cubicles. “Isabel runs the department. She’s kinda scary so don’t get on her bad side.”

An older woman looked up from her computer, giving them a glare as they walked by.

“IT and Finance is here. The quietest department in the whole office. The VP has his office here next to the Director and Controller. You probably won’t come by this way too much,” Ian pointed towards the end of the hall.

His eyes quickly locked with Mickey’s for a moment before they both looked away.

“Sales is next,” he said, swallowing hard as they neared Kash and four others seated at their desks in the open space. “Only the boss gets an office. Rest of the guys sit out here. Loudest spot in the whole place.”

“There’s your boyfriend,” Mickey muttered.

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Ian snapped, his eyes betraying the regret he felt. “He’s nothing to me, Mickey.”

“That why he kissed you at the airport last night?” Mickey snapped back but quickly reigned his anger in when Kash gave a small wave.

Mickey scoffed at the older man and turned away, surprised to find Ian’s eyes studying him.

“We gonna continue or what?”

Nodding absently, Ian licked his lips and motioned for Mickey to follow. They made their way towards the end of the hallway, away from the noise of Sales. Rita looked up from her computer with a small smile as Ian pointed towards the cubicle to her side.

“That’ll be your workstation,” he said. “Ned’s the boss in Marketing. His office is the one on the right. Mine is on the left.”

“Are you my fucking boss?” Mickey asked.

Ian glanced back to see Rita’s raised brow and quickly shook his head. “No, I’m just slightly senior so Ned gave me an office a few months back. You and me, we’ll be working together a lot.”

“Fan-fucking-tastic,” Mickey said under his breath.

Ignoring the look Rita was sending his way, Ian cleared his throat and moved towards his office, grateful that the shades had been drawn across the windows.

“Can you step inside here for a minute?” he asked, desperate to keep his nerves from spilling out.

Mickey watched him for a moment, contemplating, and finally pushed past him inside the office. Walking in behind him, Ian closed the door and spun around.

“Mick,” he started.

Before the other man could comment, Ian took three quick strides to close the distance between them and pinned Mickey to the wall, his grip firm on either arm. They stared at one another for a heated moment, breaths heavy in the small space.

“Fuck,” Ian finally said as he trailed his hands down Mickey’s arms to grip his sides. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“What the fuck are you doing?” Mickey asked, licking his lips.

Ian’s eyes shot down to the nervous swipe, feeling his breath catch at the wetness left behind. Slowly dragging his gaze back up, he looked at Mickey for an objection. When none came, he pushed himself forward and let his lips press to Mickey’s neck. His touch was gentle, searching, waiting for the other man to push him off. Instead, Mickey lifted his hands to slide through Ian’s hair, gripping on the strands to ground him. Like a dam had been broken, Ian fell forward against the warm body he longed to touch, wrapping his arms around the firm waist.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you, about fucking you,” Ian whispered, unable to stop the words from spilling.

“Fuck,” Mickey whispered, biting his lip to get a hold of himself.

When Ian’s teeth grazed behind his ear, Mickey lowered his hands between them and pushed him off. They panted roughly as they stared at one another, both wanting to bridge the gap once more but Mickey stood his ground and stepped back.

“Put a fucking lid on it, man. This shit ain’t happening,” Mickey said, pointing between them.

“Mick, Kash is no one,” Ian repeated. “He’s a guy I made a mistake with once a few months ago who won’t take a fucking hint. There’s nothing between us. Him and me are nothing.”

“_Y__ou_ and me are nothing!” Mickey snapped. “Look, we met, we fucked, now we’re here. End of fucking story.”

“Mick,” Ian started. “That wasn’t some random ‘strangers meet in the airport and fuck to pass the time’. I felt something and I know you felt something too.”

“Jesus, fuck,” Mickey chuckled. “None of that fucking matters, alright? We’re here now, working together. I need this job. I can’t let anything mess with it and this shit fucking will so just stop.”

Taking a deep breath, Ian swallowed the hurt he felt at the words and slowly nodded.

“Okay,” he said quietly. “I get it.”

The silence stretched for another beat until Ian stepped back. Moving towards his door, he took a deep breath and swung it open.

“Rita will help get you settled. I’ll bring the portfolios over in a few minutes.”

Mickey hesitated, words on his tongue, but gave a quick nod and stepped outside. When the door closed behind him, he took a breath and sat at the open desk.

“Welcome aboard,” Rita said after a brief pause. “IT had your computer set up this morning so everything should be good. Your passwords and everything else are in the binder. Let me know if you need anything.”

He gave her a small nod and switched his computer on. As he waited for the screen to boot up, he glanced back towards Ian’s door and sighed. Closing his eyes, he saw the two of them locked together in the restroom stall, Ian’s grip around him tight as he thrusted in and out. Shaking the memory away, he closed his hands into fists and let the tension drain from his body. Reaching for his cell, he sent Mandy a text and tossed his phone aside. When his screen finally switched on, he took a deep breath and opened the binder.

Inside the office, Ian pushed away from the door and fell into his chair. Burying his face in his hands, he rubbed his frustration away and closed his eyes. All he could see was Mickey pressed against the stall, body eager and pliant, taking Ian’s every inch. He could hear the quiet moans Mickey had made as their bodies had moved together. Wrapped around each other, fucking in the small space, Ian had never felt more alive. When he had pushed Kash away and turned to see that Mickey had gone, the hope in his heart had quickly died. Seeing Mickey across the room minutes before, that hope had reignited. Knowing he’d be seeing Mickey every day and not being allowed to touch left him feeling broken and raw.

Walking out of his office over an hour later, Ian stopped at his door and watched Mickey from behind. A smile curved his lips without warning as he watched Mickey bite on the end of a pen, tattooed fingers drumming on the desk as he frowned at his screen. Rita’s quizzical gaze made him lose his smile as he walked the few steps over, lowering a pile of binders to the desk.

“These are our biggest marketing campaigns,” he started, voice cracking when Mickey lifted his blue eyes towards him. “Go through them this afternoon, get to know the clients and then ask me any questions you have. We’ll dive in tomorrow morning.”

“Thanks,” Mickey nodded. “This fucking software’s pissing me off. Keeps crashing.”

Catching himself, he glanced at Rita to see her smirking.

“I say fuck a lot, don’t I?”

Ian laughed at his words and shrugged. “Just keep it down in front of the bosses. Rita and I don’t mind. You should hear her talking to her husband Bob. Not a nice conversation, most of the time.”

Rita gave a beaming smile and turned back to her own computer.

“It keeps crashing on me,” Mickey said, glancing back at his screen.

Moving around to stand behind him, Ian leaned down and grabbed the mouse, clicking a few screens. When the prompt window opened, he reached his arms around Mickey and typed a command.

“That should take care of the problem,” he said and looked over.

Mickey was watching him in silence, their faces inches apart. Unable to stop himself, Ian’s eyes traveled to the lips he ached to touch. When the moment stretched on, the sound of Rita clearing her throat had them pull away from one another, both swallowing hard. Before Ian could stumble through an apology, the commotion down the hallway caught their attention. Peering over the computer, they watched in silence until Mandy appeared past the corner. Smiling brightly, she pointed at her brother and thanked the junior Salesman before making her way towards them, dressed in six inch heels and a short skirt, settled high on her thighs. Smirking, she moved around the shocked strangers and planted herself down on Mickey's lap.

“Mandy, what the fuck?” Mickey whispered.

“Hi sweetie,” she greeted, ignoring his glare as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I got your text.”

His brows furrowed in confusion as she looked up and noticed Ian for the first time. The smile on her face grew wicked as she sat straighter in her brother's lap.

“Girlfriend?” Ian managed to ask.

“Fuck, no!” Mickey said before realizing where he was and lowering his voice. “She’s my _sister_.”

The tension quickly drained from Ian’s face as he turned to Mandy with a bright smile. “Hey, nice to meet you. I’m Ian.”

“Gorgeous is what you are,” she smirked.

Ian laughed and looked at Mickey who dropped his face against his palm.

“Just fucking kill me,” he muttered. “Mind if I take an early lunch? I gotta murder someone.”

“Mick, don’t reveal your true self on the first day,” Mandy teased but quickly yelped and jumped to her feet, rubbing her side from the spot he had pinched.

“It's no problem,” Ian nodded, smile lingering as he met Mickey’s eyes.

They watched each other, gazes locked, for another moment before Mickey cleared his throat and grabbed Mandy’s arm, leading her towards the hall.

“He’s hot!” she whispered.

“Mandy, I swear to fucking…,” he growled before they disappeared down the hall.

Laughing as they left, Ian looked over to see Rita watching him, her brow raised high. Clearing his throat, he spun on his heels and walked inside his office. Before he could fully settle behind his desk, Rita sauntered inside, arms crossed at her chest.

“Spill.”

“What are you talking about?” he feigned confusion.

“You draping yourself all over the new guy out there, staring at his lips and getting all tense and jealous when his _sister_ showed up.”

“I didn’t know she was his sister,” Ian pointed out.

“Yeah and you perked right up when you realized she was,” Rita snorted. “Seriously, Ian, spill.”

Dropping his shoulders in defeat, he leaned back against his seat. “Remember I told you about airport guy?”

“The guy you fell in love with after a few hours and a single bang?” she asked with a snort.

“I didn’t fall in love with him!” he insisted but quickly averted his gaze at the look in her eyes.

“So, what about him? What’s that got to do with new guy?”

“You think it’s a coincidence they share the same name?” Ian sighed.

Rita frowned for a moment before realization dawned. “Oh, shit!”

Bursting into laughter, she fell into one of the empty chairs in front of his desk. She grabbed her stomach from the pain of laughing so hard, making Ian roll his eyes.

“Not that funny!” he snapped.

“I’m sorry,” she said, forcing herself to calm down. “Ian, only you would this happen to.”

“What the hell am I going to do? What I felt with him was so real. When I saw him in the conference room, all I could think about was being with him again.”

“Did you clear the Kash part up?”

“Yeah, but he said it was a one time thing. He doesn’t want anything to mess with his job.”

“That’s being smart, Ian,” she said and smiled when he gave her a look. “But you’ve never been one to follow by the rules.”

“I want him, Rita,” he said quietly. “I don’t just mean for sex. I _like _him. I really like him.”

She stayed silent for a few moments, watching her friend with a thoughtful look on her face.

“At least she’s not his girlfriend or wife,” she finally said.

The words were enough to make Ian laugh and point towards her desk outside. Giving a small smile, she rose to her feet and walked out. When the door shut behind her, Ian leaned back and closed his eyes.

Stepping through the building doors downstairs, Mickey led them down the sidewalk before spinning around.

“You fucking nuts?” he finally snapped, ignoring the looks from the people around them. “What the fuck were you thinking, coming here?"

“You sent me a text, fuckhead!” she snapped back.

“I sent you a single text that said FUCK. What part of that said ‘Mandy, storm into my new job dressed like you’re about to go to a fucking club’?”

“I turned heads, didn’t I?” she smirked and raised her hands at his glare. “Alright, sorry, Jesus! I thought you needed help getting acclimated or whatever.”

He looked away down the street as she changed her footing.

“That Ian guy was hot.”

“Calm your tits,” he turned back towards her. “Dude’s gay.”

“Damn, your gaydar has gotten pretty good,” she chuckled.

Seeing the guilty look in his eyes, she moved closer and grabbed his arm.

“Mickey, is there something you wanna tell me?” she asked. “This have something to do with the hickey on your neck that you covered with my makeup?”

He glared at her again and finally gave in. “Met some guy at the airport. We talked, we argued, we fucked. Now he’s my slightly senior co-worker at my new fucking job.”

When Mandy burst into laughter, Mickey started walking away. She rushed after him and grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving.

“I should have picked it up, the way he was shooting daggers at me and looking at you, all wounded,” she smirked. “You like him, don’t you?”

“Doesn’t fucking matter,” he said. “This other guy showed up at the airport when we landed and kissed him. Dude’s another guy that works here. Ian said there’s nothing there, just a one night stand from hell but it doesn’t fucking matter. I can’t fuck this job up, Mandy. You know that.”

She watched him for a moment as the humor drained from her face. “I know.”

In a moment of tenderness they rarely shared, she reached out and touched his arm in comfort. He nodded after a moment and they pulled away.

“How about I buy you some lunch?” she asked, motioning towards the hot dog stand down the street. “You like sausage.”

“Fuck you,” he said but the smirk was back on his face.

Laughing out loud, she grabbed his arm and led him down the sidewalk.

  
********  
  


When the clock struck five, Rita gave Mickey a quick wave and left with her purse snug to her side. Shutting his own computer off, Mickey rose to his feet and turned to leave when his feet froze by his desk. Looking back towards Ian’s office, he slowly made his way over, knocking on the door before stepping inside.

“Hey.”

Ian looked up with tired eyes and smiled. “Hey. Come in, sit down.”

Moving towards the couch at the far wall, Mickey took a seat as Ian left his desk and took the spot beside him.

“How was your first day?” Ian asked, turning on the couch towards him. “Sorry I didn’t get a chance to come by again. Ned’s got us on this campaign that’s taking up all our time. I’ll bring you in on it either tomorrow or the next day.”

“It was good,” Mickey nodded. “Your fucking magic worked on the software.”

Ian’s crooked smile made Mickey swallow hard. They stared at one another for a long moment, neither willing to look away.

“Mickey,” Ian started.

“Hey there!”

They both looked to the door to see Ned walking through, eyes firm on Ian as he approached.

“How was your first day, Nicky?”

“His name is Mickey,” Ian corrected.

“Nicky, Mickey, what’s the difference?” Ned chuckled as he moved to stand beside Ian.

Lowering his hand, he reached out and massaged Ian’s shoulder. Tensing at the touch, Ian quickly looked over to see the warmth from Mickey’s eyes disappear.

“I should get home. Long day tomorrow,” Mickey said as he rose to his feet.

Without another glance, he walked out of the office and made his way down the hall. Fisting the elevator button angrily, he waited until the doors opened before storming inside. Once the doors closed, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, letting his anger and frustration out in a quiet growl. Walking through the parking, he made his way towards his car when an arm reached out to spin him around.

“Mickey, wait,” Ian pleaded. “Look, I know what it looks like but it’s not what you think.”

“He another one time mistake like the other guy or a regular?”

Hurt by the words, Ian took a step back and swallowed. “Don’t judge me.”

“Not judging you, man,” Mickey scoffed. “You fucked that dude in Sales, you fucked your Boss, you fucked me. Just chalk me up as another notch on your fucking bedpost and we can move the fuck on.”

“You weren’t a notch!”

“Doesn’t fucking matter,” Mickey said and swung his door open. “We work together. Nothing else.”

Climbing inside his car, he slammed the door behind him and shot out of the parking lot.

“Fuck!” Ian shouted in the empty space.

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair and moved to his own car, not bothering to go back to his office. Driving out of the lot, his mind went over every detail as he made the twenty minute journey home. Seeing Mickey again had awakened his heart but everything had gone wrong. In the years he’d been an adult, never had he wanted a relationship with any of the guys he had slept with. The closest he had gotten was with Caleb and Trevor. Caleb had cheated and Ian had barely shed a tear. Trevor had tried to change him, not accepting him for who he was or his family that he loved despite their faults. Both relationships had ended after a couple months and Ian had been left underwhelmed. When he’d seen Mickey for the first time, something inside him had woken up. Being with him, being inside him, had made his heart nearly burst. He had never felt that way for anyone else. All he wanted was to hold onto that feeling and never let it go. He wanted to pull Mickey against him, to breathe the scent that had intoxicated him, to fuck him raw and make love. He wanted to be with Mickey and everything had gone wrong.

Parking his car, he hesitated a moment longer before climbing out. The commotion coming from inside was loud enough that he burst through the doors towards the kitchen.

“You’re not my fucking Father!” Fiona shouted, shattering another plate on the ground.

“Stop it!” Debbie pleaded, tears rolling down her cheeks as she held a crying Franny against her chest.

“Debbie, get the baby out of here!” Lip snapped.

Their younger sister spun around and ran up the stairs.

“Crazy Fiona, right?” she cried, tossing another plate against the ground. “I see the way you all look at me! Stupid, crazy Fiona!”

“Fucking look at you!” Lip shouted. “You are so fucked up and you can’t even see it!”

“I’m fine!” she screamed.

“Fucking stop!” Ian jumped between them. “Just fucking stop.”

“Oh, this is rich, coming from crazy little brother and alcoholic little brother,” she snorted. “One goes insane and fucks everything up if he gets off his meds, the other can’t function without a drink.”

“And you’re a coked out bitch!” Lip replied.

“Fuck you,” she said, her lips quivering.

“Fi,” Ian pleaded. “You need help. You can’t keep doing this.”

“Fuck you both,” she cried and ran up the stairs, the door to her bedroom slamming shut behind her.

“I can’t fucking deal with this anymore,” Lip said, kneeling down to grab the large pieces of broken glass. “She acts like she’s the only fucking one with problems.”

“She’s addicted, Lip,” Ian sighed, reaching for the broom. “We have to do something.”

“She’ll never go to rehab,” Lip shook his head. “Self-destruction is like a default setting for our fucking family.”

Tossing the shards of glass in the garbage, Lip turned and walked out of the house, lighting a smoke as he left. Slowly lowering himself to the ground, Ian left the broom at his feet and pressed his head against the cabinet.

  
********  
  


Walking inside his apartment, Mickey glanced around for Mandy but found the space empty. A note was pinned to the fridge letting him know about the leftover dinner she had left for him inside. Reaching for a beer, he grabbed his phone and saw the battery had died. Plugging it inside the charge, he switched it on and waited for the phone to cue before a notification of a voicemail popped up. Putting the phone on speaker, he leaned back on the couch and sipped his beer.

_“Hey Mickey, it’s Paul. Just wanted to reach out and touch base with you. The lead I had at the motel on Ninth Avenue didn’t pan out. Your ex-wife was already gone and the motel owner had no surveillance for me to follow through on. The place was more of a rent by hour type of spot so no one else was talking. I’m sorry, I wish I had better news for you. I’ll keep trying as long as you want me to but I think you need to manage your expectations now. You might never find your son.”_

The voicemail ended and Mickey stared at his phone in the darkness of the apartment. Feeling his anger from everything rise, he jumped to his feet and smashed his bottle against the wall at the end of the room, watching as the shattered pieces fell to the floor, beer spilling across. Breathing heavily, he slowly lowered back on the couch, leaning forward to bury his face in his hands.


	4. Author's Note

I just wanted to give a quick update as I know I haven't updated this one in a while. I had surgery a while back and my recovery time took longer than I thought it would. Then I got better, got back to my life, updated a couple other stories I was writing before I had a setback with my recovery.

I'm all better now and I'll update as soon as I can :)


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